James Mustich's 1000 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
Which One of the Thousand Are You Reading Now?
date
newest »
newest »
message 201:
by
Karen
(new)
Sep 12, 2020 06:30AM
I'm currently reading Dune by Frank Herbert.
reply
|
flag
In the Vineyard of the Text: A Commentary to Hugh's Didascalicon -- was curious about this and finding the book difficult to acquire, did find a shareable .pdf online. Hope it is ok to post the link: http://debate.uvm.edu/asnider/Ivan_Il... Please delete if not.
Karen wrote: "In the Vineyard of the Text: A Commentary to Hugh's Didascalicon -- was curious about this and finding the book difficult to acquire, did find a shareable .pdf online. Hope it is ok t..."Thank you so much! I was thinking it might be at the university library I work at, but this will be great.
I finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison two days ago.I didn't really care for this book. I rated it 2 stars. It has too much crisscrossing and flashbacks for my taste
I finished reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. James recommended it in his newsletter. I liked it a lot. I had watched the movie many years ago. I think the book is better.
I just finished Sappho: A New Translation translated by Mary Barnard and If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho translated by Anne Carson. I compared both books as James recommended. I preferred Mary Barnard's Sappho for her readability and moving translation making Saphho come alive. However, Anne Carson's translation shows just how fragmented the ancient writing of Sappho is and how much we lost in the last 2500 years.
Mod
I just finished Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick. I liked the writing in this, some parts were better than others
Started Middlemarch by George Eliot Surprised that (so far), it hasn't been as difficult as I'd expected. Anyone used to reading Dickens or Austen should not have too much trouble, nor should anyone else, if they are willing to have a little perseverance.
At least, that's for Book I (there are 8). It may get tougher as I go along.
I am currently reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I bought a Kindle edition that also includes 1984, so I suppose I will read that title next. I am a huge fan of classics, but haven't read many of the more modern classics. I enjoy researching the meaning, history, and symbolism behind great books, so I know these titles will offer much of that. There is so much that I don't know or understand about the topics that Orwell is speaking to in these books. I have much to learn!
Mod
Hello everyone!
Our poll has been created! We have 5 more days, till September 28th 11:59pm PDT, to make our choice. Please, cast you vote!
Mod
Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus spreadsheet!
It is hosted on my Google Drive. I'll update it as we proceed with the readings.
(For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about, you are invited to read messages #2 and #4 on this thread.)
Some technical notes:
a. Authors who share the same surname are listed with the first letter of their name or, where needed, with their full name: Surname, N. or Surname, Name;
b. Authors of multiple works are listed just once (see, for example, Shakespeare);
c. The last column, called "X - Y", hosts those authors whose biographical information are somehow missing, together with their work, (i. e. : Tacitus or Lucretius or modern ones such as Elena Ferrante) or those works which, for various reasons, cannot be attributed to anyone (i. e. : Beowulf or The Bible);
c'. "..." here marks multiple works (e. g. : "Homer - ...").
If you have any questions or special requests, feel free to ask. Any suggestions or comments are welcome!
Mariella wrote: "[offtopic]Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus spreadsheet!
It is hosted on my Google Drive. I'll update it as we proceed with the readings.
(For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking ..."
Thank you, Mariella!
Thank you, Mariella.I don't know why, but having the list cut up into smaller chunks makes the nominating process a lot more interesting to me.
Mod
Bryan--Treasurer, Middlemarch Appreciation Society wrote: "I don't know why, but having the list cut up into smaller chunks makes the nominating process a lot more interesting to me."
I feel the same about that. At least, we've defined a strategy to make unbiased decisions, also allowing us to explore unknown fields. Of course, there's still full freedom: in my opinion it should serve just as a guideline.
I think for October we're done: maybe we could start with November, if you're ok with it.
I'm with everyone else--November works for me as long as everyone else is on board with it.
Mod
Sure! It was meant as a collective question, indeed! 😉
I finished Tales by H. P. Lovecraft. I read The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. An Interesting story, but it was a little too nightmarish for me to read again.
I finished reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a really good book. One I could reread again. This book really suited my taste much more than the last few monthly reads.
Jane wrote: "I finished reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a really good book. One I could reread again. This book really suited my taste much more than the las few mont..."
I loved it! It was so well-written, and I felt like I was right there (I am also walking that part of England virtually so many of the places mentioned were places I had just passed on my journey.) The movie was excellent. I am going to rewatch it now that I have read the book.
Mod
This book has helped me to get a more rational insight into the Global Pandemic we're all experiencing, allowing me to cope with the fear and anxiety it has naturally brought to our lives.
Spillover is extremely well written, precise and accurate from the scientific point of view and full of references, but at the same time it never fails in his purpose of being accessible to a broader public than that made of mere scientists or technicians.
Everyone should give it a chance!
Has anyone else read it? I'd like to know your opinion about it.
I read part of Something Happened by Joseph Heller.I don't care for this book. It has too much adultery in it for me. It's always being talked about. I quit reading it in Chapter 4: My daughter is unhappy. It talks more about him and his adulterous activities than about his daughter.
I read that book by chance about 20 years ago--an old paperback happened to be lying around where I work and I picked it up. I remember liking it, but the ending was pretty devastating. You may be glad you quit now anyway.
Mod
About Educated, has anyone else read it? Its plot reminds me of a Greek movie, Dogtooth : if you've watched it you know what I'm talking about...
Regarding Educated which I read last year, I thought it a powerful autobiography of how education can lift a person’s life. In this case, however, the education comes at the cost of losing family, due to belief.Completely different, but also about finding yourself, I read Conundrum by Jan Morris last year, and considered that the better memoir.
Mod
Carlton, thank you for your considerations! I'm still at the beginning of Educated and the story is still in progress; I am curious to read about it since one of my closest childhood friends (a Jeovah Witness) experienced the same ostracism described by Tara when he decided, in his twenties, to leave the congregation. I have always wondered how this could be possible...
Just finished War and Peace yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially all the characters and how real they felt. Since I basically binged the second half in a week, I'm in one of those book slump/depressions. Not sure what to read next after that tome. I think I'm going to try and read some lighter (and shorter) books to clear the palette. Anyone have any recommendations for that?
Joshua wrote: "Just finished War and Peace yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially all the characters and how real they felt. Since I basically binged the second half in a week, I'm in one ..."
Congratulations. Maybe a biography next? I have West with the Night on my high priority list for 2021. That means I should get it read by 2023.
Myself, I am starting Middlemarch (again!) and also Little House in the Big Woods and its sequels.
I have about 50 pages left in David Copperfield. I had trouble with David as a young, gullible character and worried that this would be a slog. (And parts were.) But as David grew, I began to enjoy the book. I can't wait to finish it.
That's probably my favorite of Dickens' that I've read."Donkeys! Janet, Donkeys!"
Mod
Lastly, I've just started The House of the Spirits, one of our first group readings, which I was unable to fulfill at the time.
Speaking of Group Readings, may I remind you that nominations are open for our February choice? There are about 24 hours left. 😊
I've been slowly working my way through Arctic Dreams, by Barry Lopez, which is kind of the opposite of this group's monthly read, Desert Solitaire. I've been so overloaded with my TBR lately, I'm not doing a very good job of keeping up. I still have DS in my queue--but it probably won't be till February that I start.
Having finished Desert Solitaire, I detoured with books about Belgium and memory, and an Irish autobiography around the biography of an eighteenth century Irish gentlewoman, but I am now back in the USA, starting Main Street.
Mod
I've started Main Street as well and, even if it seemed too far from my culture at first (not only for my different background, but also because it was published 100 years ago and it clearly shows the marks of the time...), I'm starting to enjoy it.
I've created a couple of discussions:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I've also finished The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende (our July Group Read, which I couldn't start at the time) and it's been such an interesting journey, even if it was quite harsh in the depiction of violence in its several manifestations.
Finally, I've read a couple of books about the Holocaust: If This Is a Man • The Truce by Primo Levi and An Interrupted Life: The Diaries and Letters of Etty Hillesum 1941-43. Levi's recounts of the horrors and tragedy of what he and other millions of people suffered don't need any presentation; what I can say is that, in spite of his cultural background (he was a Chemist), his writing skills are remarkable and, probably thanks to his very scientific background, he has the great virtue of depicting reality as it is — with lucidity and rationality — but in a pleasant prose. I'm planning to read more books written by him.
Mod
Mod
In the meanwhile I'm reading two other, and very different, books: The Recognitions by William Gaddis, which is also on the List, and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. This latter is a really challenging book due to its content; I bought it about ten years ago, but never had the guts to go beyond its first few pages...
On a side note, I'd like to remind you that a poll is currently open to choose our next group reading: if you haven't done it yet, I kindly ask you to cast your vote!
I have Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism on my TBR pile, having come across her name multiple times in the last couple of years.On the holocaust, words cannot comprehend it, but amongst numerous books, If this a Man which is on James’ list made an impression on me.
Currently reading John Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice, as James’ calendar mentioned yesterday that it is 1600 years since the founding of Venice. My abridged edition has a wonderful introduction by Jan Morris, which helps place the author and city in context, as it was published in the 1850’s.
Also reading more Joan Didion essays (After Henry), having become enamoured after reading The Year of Magical Thinking some years ago (I think The White Album is her best, but so much good writing).
Stalled on John Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice.Have just finished Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941 by William L. Shirer, which was a gripping read, even though you know the outcome! It was also full of surprises, as although I knew the overall outlines of this period of history, this journal provides unexpected details and has a tremendous immediacy, especially as printed in 1941 when only Britain stood against Nazi Germany.
I am slowly getting through the massive volumes by Robert Caro on Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ). I am 20% through the third volume called Master of the Senate. I am learning so much, but I am not really wild about the man!
Just finished Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford.I have reviewed more fully, but in summary I thought that this book deserves its place on James Mustich’s list. I was surprised by how poignant I found the concluding chapter of this memoir, as it seeks to try and explain how the frivolous eccentricity of their lives can still lead to an acceptance of the necessity for action in war.
Raising this thread from the dead:I just finished Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, which I didn't realize was on the list until after I finished it.
Absolutely a great non-fiction book, which also was a page turner for me. If you like adventure novels or historical ones, I think you'll like this.
Came across the September poll late and noticed Study is Hard Work by William Armstrong at the top. How I wish I had known of this book before. It would have been helpful as I transitioned from high school to college (possibly even at a younger age) and, more importantly, for my children. The older I get, the more I appreciate and value a classical education and wish I had prioritized that for my children.
Mod
Andrea, this book was perfect timing for me. I'm embarking on a doctoral degree and this is proving to be useful and timeless.
James Mustich's 1000 Books to Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (other topics)Hons and Rebels (other topics)
Master of the Senate (other topics)
Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941 (other topics)
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jessica Mitford (other topics)William L. Shirer (other topics)
William Gaddis (other topics)
Bret Easton Ellis (other topics)
David Quammen (other topics)
More...
